Thin Doubly Collimating LED Illumination Engine
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lighting fixtures are bulky, inefficient, and pose glare issues due to their design, while LED lighting solutions have not fully realized their compactness potential, often requiring additional structures to mitigate hazardous brightness levels.
Innovation Solution
The development of thin plate-like illumination systems using semiconductor LEDs with heat extraction means, optical couplers, and light distributing optics, which provide uniform illumination over enlarged apertures with reduced brightness, maintaining sharp angular cutoffs and allowing for compact, slim-profile designs suitable for various lighting applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional lighting fixtures are used to provide illumination, then lighting coverage is achieved, but the fixtures become bulky and heavy requiring costly mechanical reinforcements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical lighting systems with LED-based illumination that uses optical elements (lenses, reflectors) instead of bulky mechanical structures to achieve light distribution. The LED module with integrated optical components eliminates the need for heavy mechanical fixtures while maintaining illumination coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the fundamental parameters of lighting by using high-efficiency LED light sources that provide equivalent or superior illumination to conventional fixtures at a fraction of the weight. The optical design parameters are optimized to distribute light effectively without requiring bulky housing.
2Use of energy by moving object
If LED brightness is increased to improve illumination efficiency, then energy efficiency improves, but hazardous brightness levels create glare and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces optical intermediaries including diffusing lenses and reflectors that mediate between the high-intensity LED source and the surrounding environment. These optical elements distribute and soften the light output, maintaining energy efficiency while eliminating hazardous glare and direct viewing of the bright LED chip.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different optical properties to different regions of the light output. The optical elements create zones of distributed illumination that maintain high overall efficiency while localizing any remaining intense spots, ensuring safe viewing angles and eliminating uniform glare across the fixture.
3Length of stationary object
If LED modules are compacted to reduce fixture size, then fixture thickness is reduced, but heat dissipation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from planar heat dissipation to three-dimensional heat management by incorporating vertically oriented heat sinks and multi-layer thermal pathways. The LED module design uses stacked thermal interfaces and conduction paths that extend in the vertical dimension, enabling effective heat dissipation in thin-profile fixtures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite material structures combining high-thermal-conductivity materials (such as aluminum nitride or diamond thermal interface materials) with thermally conductive but electrically insulating materials. This composite approach enables efficient heat transfer from the LED chip through multiple layers while maintaining the thin overall profile of the fixture.
4Illumination intensity
If optical elements are added to distribute LED light uniformly, then illumination uniformity improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple optical functions into integrated optical elements. The lens and diffuser are combined in a single molded component, and the reflector is integrated directly into the LED module housing. This consolidation achieves uniform light distribution while minimizing the number of separate optical parts and simplifying assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical elements are designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: the diffusing lens both distributes light uniformly and protects the LED chip, while the integrated reflector both redirects light and serves as part of the thermal management structure. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These systems achieve compact, efficient, and safe LED illumination with reduced glare, enabling thinner and lighter fixtures that can be integrated into building materials, offering improved lighting solutions for commercial applications.
Implementation Method 1
uses a thin light guiding bar to provide a strong degree of collimation in one meridian, and then further processes this light with an equally thin light guiding plate that retains the strong degree of pre-collimation in the first meridian while adding an equally strong degree of collimation to the light in a second meridian orthogonal to the first
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention introduces a new class of thin doubly collimating light distributing engines for use in a variety of general lighting applications. Output illumination from these slim-profile illumination systems whether square, rectangular or circular in physical aperture shape is directional, square, rectangular or circular in beam cross-section, and spatially uniform and sharply cutoff outside the system's adjustable far-field angular cone. Some embodiments provided include thin light distributing engines which provide input light collimated in one meridian and a light distributing element that maintains input collimation while collimating output light in the un-collimated orthogonal meridian, in such a manner that the system's far-field output light is collimated in both its orthogonal output meridians. The present invention can also include optical films that process the engine's doubly collimated output illumination so as to increase its angular extent one or both output meridians without changing beam shape or uniformity.